Thai YouTuber fights the tourist corner! Rip-off taxi drivers exposed

[webfact]

Thai YouTuber fights the tourist corner! Rip-off taxi drivers exposed

 

Picture: Sanook

 

Tourists visiting Bangkok have an unusual ally in the fight to get the capital's cabbies to turn on their meters and stop rip-offs.

 

This comes in the shape of YouTuber Songsak Panyatharak who produced a number of videos posing as a foreign tourist. 

 

Songsak - part of team called DOM that exposes bad Thai behavior - filmed interaction with three taxi drivers who all said they would not turn on the meter and who asked for inflated prices of up to three times, reported Sanook. 

 

In one journey from Sanam Luang to Chitlom in which the driver demanded 300 baht Grab would have done the journey for 140, said the prankster. 

 

Now the Thai authorities have acted on the videos and hauled in the three drivers all of whom had previously been fined for not turning on the meter.

 

They were all given fines of several thousand baht. 

 

But this time they will have to find something else to do until next year - they all had their licences to operate removed for three months. 

 

They were named as Somyot, 41, Phasawut, 48 and Sompong aged 37, reported Daily News. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-10-16

 

[KittenKong]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

But this time they will have to find something else to do until next year - they all had their licences to operate removed for three months. 

So presumably they will just work without a licence, and take their chances with being "fined" if pulled over.

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

So presumably they will just work without a licence, and take their chances with being "fined" if pulled over.

That is what i think too... I don't believe for a second that they will not work as a taxi driver.

 

Good that there are Thais who condemn this kind of behaviour.

Edited October 16, 2018 by robblok

[tifino]

 

taxi fellas will get their money back eventually...by Suing Songsak

[MaxLee]

The police are gonna hunt down and silence that generous man who recorded those videos,... wanna bet?

[BigT73]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Tourists visiting Bangkok have an unusual ally in the fight to get the capital's cabbies to turn on their meters and stop rip-offs

I think this heading is a bit misleading in assuming they are helping foriegn tourists.  At 2:48 in the video they admit its fine for a foriegner to pay this much but expensive for a thai.  Its like all thais must think foreigners must have money trees back home.

[asiaexpat]

I recently encountered a taxi with a go faster switch for the meter. My usual fare for my route is 80 baht, but the other day I got a taxi for the same route and halfway through the meter clicked over 100 baht. I stopped the taxi and saw a switch near the steering wheel. Filed a complaint but no response.

[Aussieroaming]

Good that some action was taken, not that the overall picture will change.

[UdeBoCM]

These guys are not playing it fair. They agree for a set price, get into their ride, then ask to switch the meter.... I feel sorry for the drivers, kind of. 

[Henrik Andersen]

Nothing will change 

We complaining when taxi not turn meter on and give us a fixed price 

But we happily go with prostitutes for a fixed price they need turned they meter on too. Joking 

[happy chappie]

3 hours ago, Henrik Andersen said:

Nothing will change 

We complaining when taxi not turn meter on and give us a fixed price 

But we happily go with prostitutes for a fixed price they need turned they meter on too. Joking 

We certainly don't all go with prostitute and pay them a fixed price.i married mine and my bills are all over the place.

[Henrik Andersen]

2 hours ago, happy chappie said:

We certainly don't all go with prostitute and pay them a fixed price.i married mine and my bills are all over the place.

It was meant to be a joke 

and I don't said we all go with prostitutes na 

 

[happy chappie]

1 hour ago, Henrik Andersen said:

It was meant to be a joke 

and I don't said we all go with prostitutes na 

 

Yes I do understand it was a joke and my reply was along the same line.my reply was with a little bit more English wit.so there's no problem about it with me.

[balo]

The Youtube video was filmed outside Royal Palace. No wonder they were scammed! The worst place they could choose. 

 

 

 

[fanjita]

Limos are the way forward.  They've nothing to gain by any silly business.